Patient: Hamato Michelangelo
by icefirestorm
Summary: He's only eighteen years old, so why is he hobbling around like an old man? This can't be right.
1. Chapter 1

Patient: Hamato Michelangelo

"Ow. Ow. Ow." Raphael rolled his eyes and glanced backwards at his baby brother. "What're you whining about now Mikey?"

The sea green turtle hobbled over, his eyes were confused as he answered, "My legs hurt."

Raphael huffed and hooked his large thumbs into the brown leather belt slung about his hips. "Whadda yah mean they hurt?"

"They just hurt dude. Like they ache inside." It was weird, he'd felt fine when he and Raph had split off from the others to patrol separately. A storm system was moving into the area that night and the turtles had hoped that splitting up would let them finish sooner and maybe beat the bad weather home. Raph and Mikey had made good time but as they ran and bounced across the rooftops without encountering trouble, the younger reptile's usually flashy manoeuvres had become gradually tamer. First his legs had just felt a bit weaker than normal, then a deep ache has settled into the bones, but now he felt downright fragile, as if he would move the wrong way and they would snap. It eerily reminded him of how they felt in the latter stages of healing after being broken by the Shredder in their suicidal battle against the alien madman on his ship.

" They ache inside? What are you Mastah Splintah? Yah gonna sit on the couch an' watch his stories with 'im now?" Raph's mocking tone was belied by the concern in his amber eyes, comforting Michelangelo. He felt bad about worrying his brother but... "Y'know I just might. I'm really hurting here bro. D'you think we could head back early without getting too razzed by Leo for it?"

Raph's nerves started to draw tight. "Razzed? Bro if you're hurtin' too much tah bounce all ovah Manhattan, you're gonna hafta pry that mothah hen off yah shell. Y'know Donnie's gonna dump yah in his lab and poke you fullah holes tah find out why?"

He did, and he wasn't looking forward to it. The pain in his lower limbs would not be ignored though Mikey honestly thought that if he didn't get off his feet soon, he might just cry, and that was coming from The Battle Nexus Champion! "Yeah I know, but, I think I need to head home dude." The younger turtle put actions to words and started limping to the end of the roof, he had a problem when he reached it though, he could barely walk, how was he supposed to leap over the gaps between roofs?

A large, dark green hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and saw Raphael roll his eyes once again. "If you're that bad off what makes yah think you're gonna get home the same way we got here bonehead?" Look let's just call the othah's and see if anyone is near enough tah home to bring around the battleshell.

"Aw but Raph, I don't wanna do that! They'll really make fun of me then!"

"Ok, now I know there's a problem, usually you whine about the stupidest things, but if you're tryn' to play this down? You must be hurtin'. Sit you're shell down an' chill kiddo, I'm gonna call the othah's."

The older brother reached to his belt and dialled Donatello's number on the shell cell, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with Fearless if he freaked out. "Donnie? Yeah, can you guys pick us up with the battleshell? No we didn't get hurt or nothing but somthin's wrong with Mickey. He says his legs hurt too much to keep goin' an' he don' know why. Nah we're not goin' anywhere Don. See yah soon."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I just realized that I forgot the disclaimer in the previous chapter. Oops.**

**Thankyou so much for all your kind reviews. Hope this doesn't let you down!**

"Welp. They're on their way." Raph slipped his shell cell back into his belt and looked over his baby brother. Mikey was sitting on the lip of the roof, looking off into the distance and absently rubbing his legs. He was quiet. Mikey was never quiet. "Y'ok there Mike?"

The younger turtle shook himself. "Yeah, I just wish my legs would stop hurting. It's like someone's twisting them or something."

Raph sighed. His brother was hurting and all he could do was wait. Waiting sucked. He hated waiting…..Screw waiting. "No point in just sitting here. Battleshell's comin' but we've still gotta get yah to ground level. C'mon hop along, let's start down the fire escape."

Raphael reached down and heaved his smaller brother up, slowly they worked their way to the ladder. Big brother instincts had the elder going down the rungs first. If Mikey slipped, his brawny protector would likely be able to catch him, or at least slow him down.

Both of them were frustrated by the slow pace. They were ninjas, Olympic level athletes, reduced to climbing a ladder at a snail's pace. The distinctive rumble of the Battleshell coincided with their feet touching concrete. Two more worried siblings piled out, nearly tripping over themselves. Any other time, Mikey would have teased them mercilessly, as it was he was just happy to know he'd be able to get off his feet soon.

Leonardo slipped under Mikey's left arm helping Raph who had already taken the right. They nodded and hoisted Mikey into a chair of arms. Donatello quickly ran his eyes over the youngest, determined that he wasn't in immediate danger and led the little convoy back to the running vehicle.

"How's that Mikey?" Leonardo asked. Michelangelo opened his eyes, reclined in a cushy chair. He smirked, Fearless Leader Mother Hen Mode, was in full effect. Leo was wound tight and all but wringing his hands. The baby brother in him debated milking his condition for about half a second, but decided against it. Donatello was coming back from the shot gun seat, he'd probably been pumping Raph for info.

"I'm okay Leo, besides, ya know, the pain." _That didn't come out the way I wanted._ _And…. Now we've reached full hand wringing._ Donnie sighed and shoved the fretting leader aside. "Okay Mikey, I've got Raph's version, I'd like yours."

Mikey nodded and explained as best he could. Started fine, got a bit sore, fierce ache, and now he felt like if he moved the wrong way, everything below his knees would come apart. Donatello, listened while starting to examine the sore limbs. Gently, he moved the legs, earning a hiss. The gears were obviously turning behind copper eyes, possibilities being rapidly considered and discarded until the most likely results were collected.

"Well, there's a couple things it could be. I'd like to gather more data before I go any further though."

The others knew better than to push for an answer. Donnie hated being rushed, getting flustered and often he would just shut down. Better to let him follow his Process and get answers when he was ready.

"We're home!" Raph's deep voice announced. The back doors opened and there was Splinter waiting for them with the elevator. Another round of arm chairs later, Mikey was settled in the Lab with Don while he ran his tests.

The others waited in the main room, trying and failing not to fret. Leo and Splinter attempted to meditate after drinking a calming tea their Father had insisted all partake of. In true Raphael fashion, the family tank threw back his cup, stomped into the dojo, and started in on his training dummy.

Three hours later, Donatello poked his head out the door and was nearly trampled by his family as they rushed him. They were stopped dead in their tracks by the soft smile his face. It wasn't that bad at least, whatever it was.

Splinter sighed in relief and led his children to his youngest's side. Mikey leaned into his father's hand as the long digits caressed his head. The family's sword and shield took up guard positions on either side of his bed, and awaited Donatello's verdict.

"Ok. Firstly, it's not serious."

The nervous tension evaporated and was replaced only by curiosity.

"I was initially concerned, cancer and other equally nasty things have been known to present with aches in early stages, but the scans and blood tests have revealed nothing of the sort. I also looked at the bones themselves to see if maybe the Utroms had misaligned the bones when they treated us, but that's fine too. I did notice however, a small technorganic implant in each leg."

"What!"

"An implant!"

"How's that not serious?! Someone's stuck somethin' in our brothah!"

Donatello waited for the expected outburst to pass, holding up his hands to pacify his clan. "Easy guys, they were supposed to be there. The Utroms use implants for long-term pain relief. They only last a couple years, but it's better than anything on this planet. They gave all of us mild ones to help us heal after that debacle on the Shredder's ship. Mikey's appear to be a different model, most likely because of the severe fractures he suffered. Bone trauma of that sort is notorious for acute, lingering pain. It would seem though, that the implants have finally run their course."

Olive hands settled on sea green legs as Donatello looked into his little brother's eyes. "That's why you hurt now. The painkillers are gone, so you're feeling the aftereffects of your injuries. Basically, you have a form of arthritis Mikey. It's not serious, it likely flared up tonight because of the weather shifting."

_Arthritis? I really am turning into Master Splinter._ He looked down at his lap, brows furrowed. "So…. How do we make it go away." Now Donatello's eyes got a little sad. "I'm sorry Mikey, this is probably permanent. It'll come and go, but you'll always have it. Most likely it will worsen as you get older, definitely if you re-injure the bones. Humans have been living with arthritis for centuries though and there is a large variety of treatments that can mitigate the effects. I'll start looking into them tonight."

It wasn't something like cancer that could kill him, but his stomach still twisted as if he'd been punched in the gut. _I'm gonna have to live with this pain for the rest of my life? _He felt cheated. He was a teenager, he wasn't old enough for this sort of stuff yet. His face was buried in coarse fur and the smell of home as his Father pulled him close.

"Your brother will help you my son. In the meantime, I have a trick or two myself that may help."


	3. Chapter 3

**I count no less than 4 "poor Mikey"-s. Lol. Glad you're all enjoying the whump. P.S. I totally understand what he's going through. I've had arthritis since I was 17. Don't let anyone tell you it's just an old people thing.**

Winter sucked. As reptiles, the boys had never been fans of the colder months. The chill seemed to suck the very life out of their bodies, leaving them sluggish. Donatello wasn't sure if they were still capable of hibernating, so they took great care to keep from getting too cold. At least now they had the warm shelter of a heated Lair, as opposed to their childhood when all the warmth they had was steam pipes and Splinter's own body heat. That they all survived long enough for Donnie to figure out heating, plumbing and electricity, testified to their Father's own particular brand of genius.

Even so, the winter days dragged on for them. They could only leave the Lair when certain temperatures were reached, and still they had to go well bundled carefully watching how long they stayed out. Mikey however, had become even more restricted. The cold and shifts in weather were especially brutal in winter, triggering deep, twisting aches in the bones of his legs. Painkillers and avoiding straining the weakened limbs helped to manage the problem, but at times it was still crippling and there were days he just couldn't keep up with his brothers. _Now I know why Splinter doesn't come out with us as much anymore._

The morose turtle found himself in his new usual nest this winter's day, on the couch playing video games. It spoke to how often he was left on his own now, that the idea of having nothing to do but beat his high scores had worn very thin. He started up another round of Distance and tried to ignore his throbbing limbs, wishing his brothers were around more.

He was starting to feel a little left behind. It was becoming rare to see them around for greater than a few hours a day, generally around meal times. They obviously weren't spending all that time on the surface, but running the tunnels was better than stewing at home. The youngest just wished he was well enough to join them.

A particularly nasty twinge had the blue-eyed ninja jerking upright and failing to stifle a curse as his car blew apart on screen. _Ok, that's enough._ Time for the sure fire cure. He shut down his game and hobbled over to the bathroom. A few minutes later he sighed in sweet relief as the near scalding bath water soaked into his bones and chased away the chill. Painkillers and care were good, but a hot bath meant near instant relief. If only he could stay in here forever. Unfortunately the tub was small, uncomfortable in shape for large shelled turtles and had the annoying "safety" drain that prevented more than a couple inches of water from staying in the tub. It was enough to give him a much needed break from the pain though, so he soaked, and wished the water wouldn't cool so fast.

Bleary eyes blinked open as the youngest of the Hamato clan woke from his nap. Sounds from outside his door told him the others had finally come home. He couldn't quite muster up the energy to do anything about it though. His bed was warm, he wasn't sore at the moment, and frankly, he felt that his brothers had been ignoring him, so he wasn't much inclined to make an effort for them at the moment.

He didn't have to though. Shortly a blue bandana wrapped head poked in his door. "Mikey," his big brother whispered, "You up?"

_So much for staying in bed._ "Yeah Leo I'm up." Words didn't match to action though as he hunkered further under the covers.

"You feel up to a walk, Little Brother?"

_He's asking me to go with them?_ "You serious? What happened to, "You don't want to strain yourself, better stay here."?"

Leo flushed a bit. "Actually, we kinda, needed to get out on our own."

That hurt. That hurt a lot. They deliberately left him behind? "What you thought the gimpy turtle would slow you down? So you made me stay here, bored to tears? Thanks a lot Leo!" Mikey rolled over and pulled the covers past his head. "Y'know what? No. I don't want to go with you. I'm gonna stay right here thanks."

Leo balked at the venom in Michelangelo's voice. This was not going to plan. _So much for that._ "Aw Mikey no. It's not like that. We didn't want to leave you out, we wanted to surprise you."

That got his attention. "Surprise me? Surprise me with what." There was still suspicion in his tone, but at least now he was sitting upright instead of sulking.

Leo smiled softly and beckoned his baby brother over. "Well, that's what the walk is for silly."

Now Mikey was getting a bit excited, but the weeks of loneliness and boredom kept him from letting them off so easy. He sighed deeply. "I suppose. It better be one heckuva surprise though." he said as he rolled out of bed and pulled on some socks. Even the chill of their stone floors was unwelcome right now.

Mikey was starting to think it would be worth it, as Leo, of all brothers, was starting to bounce on his feet like an excited little kid. "C'mon Mikey we're just waiting on you."

It wasn't a long walk. Just a few yards down the main tunnel they veered off and into a door that they had passed a million times since moving here. Leo was grinning so wide now that his face was threatening to split in two. Mikey limped through the door, was greeted by the most delicious heat, and stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw was practically a mutant turtle sized terrarium. "Surpise!" His three brothers chorused.

Raph sidled over. "Sorry we been leavin' yah all alone, but this took a bit o' doin'."

His little brother stood frozen, "But…What?!"

Donatello chuckled and took Mikey's hand to lead him forward. "Your sore legs got me thinking. Specifically, the effect your hot baths had in relieving your pain. We try so hard to think of ourselves as people, not just freaky animals, that we ignore our more basic needs sometimes." The soft sand slid wonderfully under Mikey's feet. "If we hadn't mutated, this would be our environment." He gestured up. "Sun lamps for us to bask in." He looked down. "Sand or soil to dig and lay in. "He glanced to the side. "And cool water to swim and soak in. These are all things that we as turtles need. However, there's something else we could benefit from, and you most of all." His sweeping hand drew attention to the steaming pool next to the larger main watering hole. "A hot tub, big enough for all of us to soak in." Mikey could have just about kissed him, so he did.


End file.
